exaggeration

[ ig-zaj-uh-rey-shuhn ]

/ ɪgˌzædʒ əˈreɪ ʃən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for exaggeration on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of exaggerating or overstating.

an instance of exaggerating; an overstatement: His statement concerning the size of his income is a gross exaggeration.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of exaggeration

1555–65; <Latin exaggerātiōn- (stem of exaggerātiō), equivalent to exaggerāt(us) (see exaggerate) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM exaggeration

non·ex·ag·ger·a·tion, nouno·ver·ex·ag·ger·a·tion, nounself-ex·ag·ger·a·tion, noun

Words nearby exaggeration

exactly, exact science, exacum, exaggerate, exaggerated, exaggeration, exaggerative, exahertz, ex all, exalt, exaltation

How to use exaggeration in a sentence

It’s not an exaggeration to say decisions made today could affect the planet for thousands of years.
This election could decide the climate’s future|Ula Chrobak|October 29, 2020|Popular-Science
This was clearly the most important announcement since RankBrain and no exaggeration — and not just for the world of web search.
Could Google passage indexing be leveraging BERT?|Dawn Anderson|October 29, 2020|Search Engine Land
We are regressing at the worst possible time for us to do so, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that thousands of lives hang in the balance — the lives of mothers, fathers, sons and daughters who could easily fall.
What Will It Take, America?|Tracy Moran|October 28, 2020|Ozy
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Thompson created Georgetown basketball — and Big East basketball — as we know it.
John Thompson’s Unapologetic Blackness Changed College Basketball|Santul Nerkar|September 1, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

It’s no exaggeration to say that WeChat changed my father’s life.
The human cost of a WeChat ban: severing a hundred million ties|Karen Hao|August 13, 2020|MIT Technology Review
And this big box that encloses him is only an exaggeration of his regular nerd-dandy clothes.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael's Talking Heads Obsession|Pauline Kael|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No exaggeration, Ronaldo is one of the two best footballers in the world.
Why It’s Still OK to Hate Sexy Bastard Cristiano Ronaldo After He Saved Team USA|Emily Shire|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Exaggeration and hyperbole are constant campaign companions, as useful and expected as hammers and saws on a construction site.
When Campaign Spin Becomes Fact|Stuart Stevens|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is no exaggeration to say that the way society deals with drugs is shifting more quickly than ever before.
When Drugs Were Legal: The Anti-Opium Campaign|Brian Kelly|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wolf is about the American Dream gone haywire, so exaggeration is the name of the game.
From ‘American Hustle’ to ‘Saving Mr. Banks,’ Why Is Hollywood Hooked On Embellishing the Truth?|Marina Watts, Marlow Stern|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Any exaggeration into which a feeling of indignation happens to betray the accuser is instantly pounced upon.
Children's Ways|James Sully
His last night's jealous speculations touching a man he did not know had leastways led him into no exaggeration.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Amplification, declamation, and exaggeration were at all times the faults of the Greeks, excepting Demosthenes and Aristotle.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
Travellers speak of the speed of the bullet in describing their running—doubtless with some exaggeration.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
The enthusiasm of the poet leads him into exaggeration whenever he comes to a wonder of Provence.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer